Material Spotlight: ZA-27

Zinc-aluminium alloys were first introduced for gravity casting but are now sought after materials for high-pressure, cold chamber die casting. With zinc as the base metal, ZA-27 consists of 27 percent aluminium and 2.2 percent copper. ZA alloys have higher concentrations of aluminium than traditional zinc alloys and have unparalleled bearing properties—ZA-27 having the highest aluminium content of all three ZA alloys. Silver in colour, this zinc aluminium combination is lightweight, dense, and is best suited for applications that require optimum strength.

Benefits of ZA-27

ZA-27 provides a variety of benefits and solutions for different die casting projects. Not only is it known for its wear resistance and high strength properties but other specific benefits of ZA-27, include:

• High tensile & yield strength
• Corrosion resistance
• Non-sparking
• Hardness
• Good bearing and creep properties
• Lightweight
• Easy machinability
• Thermal conductivity
• Longer tool life
• Environmentally friendly, efficiently recyclable

ZA-27 Applications

ZA-27 is an underappreciated metal for foundry use. It is three times stronger than typical cast aluminium and can have the tensile strength of grey cast iron. At Dynacast, we have had great success casting ZA-27. One of our customers—in the safety restraint industry—needed more strength than what the standard aluminium alloys could offer. Our team of engineers designed the part using ZA-27 and achieved the max strength needed without failure.

ZA-27 can be used for a variety of different projects but is best applied in bearing applications. It is easily machined and castings can be readily polished, plated, painted, or anodised. Due to its high melting point, ZA-27 is suitable for projects with service temperatures of ~150 degrees Celsius. ZA-27's anti-sparking characteristics give it the ability to act as a natural bearing, which inevitably offers cost savings as well as maintenance and reliability advantages over other cast metals—which is great for the automotive industry. Other industries utilising ZA-27 include:

• Aeronautics
• Agricultural machinery
• Construction and building
• General engineering
• Textile machinery

Try our dynamic metal selector tool to compare mechanical and physical properties of different alloys.

Die Casting with ZA-27

The high strength properties of ZA-27, combined with its castability, enable our team of engineers to design for strength but at the same time reduce the overall material content of competing materials. We can cast stronger parts with thinner walls using ZA-27. Customers that had failing parts using A380 made the switch to ZA-27 and more than doubled their yield strength. Our team of engineers has the experience and expertise to walk you through transitioning your project to ZA-27 or can assist you in starting a new project from scratch.